


Better Better

by mashijiro



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Crush at First Sight, Fluff, M/M, graduate!woojin, i just need to flood more woochan, plot what someone gotta teach me, surferboy!chan, this is just me living with no plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-11-04 12:12:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17898221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mashijiro/pseuds/mashijiro
Summary: Six months of hell ended, and Woojin decided it's a good idea to travel alone and to a foreign country at that.orWoojin can't keep his panicked gay hidden and realize love at first sight exist.





	Better Better

A smile graces Woojin's thin lips, softening his overall sharp look. The ocean in front of him calm, with waves rippling through the shallow end of the sea and fading out to the shore. Maybe that steady repetition transmits the ocean's calmness to him, and ever slowly he feels himself unwind. The past six months was nothing short of chaotic for Woojin, it's actually a miracle he's still alive and breathing in the early autumn breeze by the shore. He will admit that he actually can't recall when was the last time he has had the chance to relax, but now that everything has settled down, Woojin knows it's the best time to do so. And he is already on it anyway, a continent away from his home country, and by himself.

The alarm blared without a care whether the man still snuggling his blanket got enough sleep for the night. Woojin knew it was time to wake up, but he tried to sneak another miniscule minutes of sleep in before reluctantly sitting up and rubbing his eyes, hard. It was as if it'd wash away the tiredness and make Woojin more awake than he could ever be in days. But life never go your way for a fact, and being the final year student in his major was not of any help. After doing the bare minimum to at least not look as dead as he felt inside, Woojin headed for the lecture hall, books in tow just to make him feel a tad bit better about his preparation for the finals. Maybe Woojin did everything in his power for it, and perhaps it would pay off soon.

The pink tinge in the sky fades into his vision, and Woojin comes back from reminiscing about the hellish months. His face might split into two, with the amount of smiling he does in one sitting but can anyone blame him, really. He watches as the people by the shore walk past him and basking in the magical hues of sunset. A couple holding hands as the girl leans closer and laugh at absolutely nothing, a toddler running in tiny steps ahead of his parents, a group of school aged kids shoving one another with an ice cream cone in their hands, an older couple who seems sweeter than the one he saw earlier. Woojin might be (is, honestly) obnoxious of his surrounding when college precedes everything but he really likes time like this. A time for him to sit back and observe the world, being happy for the glint of happiness he could see in the faces around him. Maybe the world don't deserve a Kim Woojin.

His gaze stops where the waves crash against the sandy shore, watching as a couple of people walking back to the small huts littering the length of the beach with their surfboards. Woojin ever dreamt of surfing, but apparently South Korea is not exactly the best place to do so. Sitting up from where he was watching a good distance away, Woojin brushes off the back of his pants and slowly makes his way towards the calmer water. The rays of sunset making the ocean glimmer beautifully. He takes another deep breath, trying to carve each moment into his memory because God knows when he'll ever get such chance again. Breathtaking. The word flashes before Woojin in slow motion. He's now a couple metres away from the water, for good measures of not wetting his only pair of shoes for the trip. And yes, the sunset is breathtakingly mesmerizing. But that is not what Woojin's eyes are on, at the moment.

Breathtaking is shining with the golden color of the setting sun, droplets reflecting the remaining light of the day and Woojin feels his heart stutter in his chest. And did he mention breathtaking has curls? Cute damp curls almost being flattened up on his head with how soaked they are. And his skin is not exactly tan, but Woojin can appreciate the slight warmth to it. That is when Woojin realized he fucked up. Breathtaking is now looking at him with curious eyes and an eyebrow raised as Woojin tries his hardest to tear his gaze away. Yes, Woojin definitely did not notice that tiny eyebrow slit. He is not ogling breathtaking's perfectly carved pectorals and abdomen on his lean frame and most definitely he is not drooling at how bright the smile breathtaking is flashing. The sun just lost the battle, Woojin is sure about this one.

"Hello?" Breathtaking carefully mumbles, a hand half raised in what Woojin perceives as a greeting. "Is there anything I can help you with?" Woojin knows he is gay, but breathtaking's voice is going to be the death of him. They can play his voice for Woojin's funeral and he can guarantee he'll be smiling in his coffin.

"O Oh." Woojin mentally punches himself for stuttering. He knows he's a mess but he can at least try to be a hot mess, but apparently he can't have good things. "Do you know where I can get shrimp on a barbie?" If there is anything Woojin is lacking to be a trophy husband, it's his lack of brain to mouth filter. And now he really can't have good things (or person), breathtaking included.

The male in front of Woojin has a blank expression for about three seconds before breaking into a giggling fit. Fuck. Woojin wants to die to the sound of his giggling now. "How'd you know about that? It's an overused expression." The guy mumbles in between his remaining chuckle, and did Woojin mention it sounds beautiful? "But yeah, I know a place you can go to. I can show you where." He continues with an unreadable tone but Woojin was pretty sure it is borderline flirty, not that Woojin bothers.

"Oh." Woojin never know his vocabulary is pretty much non-existent in front of breathtaking boys, but he guesses it's better late than never. "Yeah, that'll be great honestly." Woojin's voice is small, looking at his absolutely attractive half undone shoelaces.

"Great! Now you just have to wait for me to get changed and I'll take you there. Good thing you're here since I hate eating alone. Aha." Woojin's eyes may have tricked him with the small patches of pink on breathtaking's cheeks. It can be the sunburn at best, stop dreaming Kim Woojin.

A couple of hours ago Woojin remembers watching people and now maybe it's karma slapping him back in the face with all the eyes on him. After waiting for breathtaking to change, and Woojin was recalling how breathtaking's arm flexes snugly over his huge surfboard (and yes, this is definitely not ogling) the whole time, they walked the short distance to a nearby eatery which specializes in seafood for apparent reasons. Once they get there, breathtaking leads him to a table occupied by three other people, and that was when Woojin realized they never ask for each other's name. And Woojin feels a little betrayed since breathtaking mentioned of his hate of eating alone but he is not alone to begin with.

"Here's Changbin, and the small squirrel there is Jisung and the freckled blonde is Felix." Breathtaking introduced quickly as he takes his seat opposite of the three, and Woojin has no choice but to end up next to him. "Hello!" A chorus rings loud enough for the five of them and maybe this isn't as bad as Woojin thought it'd be.

"Hi.. I'm Woojin. And I travel here." Woojin awkwardly nods in no specific direction, landing his gaze on breathtaking towards the end just to appreciate the view.

"Finally I got a name. I keep calling you cute guy in my head." Breathtaking casually says as he flips through the menu, even though Woojin is sure he frequents the place so much to have his order memorized already.

"Oh yeah. You never ask..?" Woojin croaks, ignoring the slight warmth creeping to the tips of his ears, eyes darting nervously to the other three sitting in front of him. "Anyway, I didn't know it's easy to meet fellow Koreans here." Woojin starts, wanting to change the topic though he is dying to know breathtaking's name. "Yeah, but we don't actually live here. I'm visiting Felix and Chan since they barely fly back to Korea anymore." Jisung chirps from the very end of the table, smiling widely and Woojin realizes Chip and Dale flashes alternately in his head. "Excuse me, flights are expensive, I won't be thriving financially if I keep spending on it." Breathtaking backs himself up, beckoning the waiter to put down their orders.

Chan. Breathtaking is Chan. Chan is breathtaking. That is the only single thought in his head until he felt a hand on his shoulder. "I've been asking, what do you want for dinner?" Chan looks at him with worry clouding his expression. "Oh, sorry.. Do they have shrimp on a barbie?" With Woojin's question, a choir of obnoxious laughing ensues, Felix crouched over Changbin and both of them laughing close enough to a madman's. Jisung on the other hand smiled pitifully at Woojin, trying to stifle his laugh with the back of his hand as Chan proceeds with ordering what he deems necessary.

"Woojin.. Uh, how should I address you?" Jisung tips his head slightly. "We never know your age." He then looks over to the other end of the table. "Felix and me are 19, Changbin hyung is 20 and Chan hyung is 22." Jisung looks unbothered disclosing his details to a fairly new acquaintance like Woojin, and maybe Woojin appreciates that.

"I'm 22 too. The same age as Chan.." Woojin's voice tiny when Chan's name rolls off his tongue, it feels natural but he knows he's heating up. "That's great! We have another hyung!" Felix beams. Now, Woojin is not sure whether these kids never watch TV or they're just overly optimistic with life. Aren't they suspicious if Woojin is actually a serial killer or something, though he is actually way too clumsy for that. Yet, he still smiles and nods gently at Felix.

Their order arrives not long after an endless banter about everything and anything between the four friends. And even though Woojin was out of the picture, something about the whole thing makes him feel at ease. It reminds him of his friends back in college. Who spent hours past their bedtimes trying to finish assignments or just hang out and playing games. Woojin realizes he misses them. Maybe he will give them a call later when he's back to his lodging. Woojin is halfway through his shrimp carbonara before he turns to Jisung when he asks, "What brings you here, hyung?".

"Ha. That. Actually, I've always travelled alone back in Korea. For my graduation, I wanted to gift myself with solo traveling abroad. And Australia pops up in the search tab." He follows through with a light hearted laughter, eyes forming crescents as he looks over at Chan. Just to notice Chan is already looking at him. Perhaps Woojin can get gayer than he already is.

Changbin animatedly explains about the places Woojin must visit and providing all the little insider details since Felix is his personalized tour guide for the longest time. Woojin laughs at everything, especially how the rest of the group teases Changbin yet the small guy knows there was no bite behind them and plays along. He reminds him of Hyunjin, if not much.

The five males finish their dinner without any major accidents, and to Woojin's surprise (or not), Chan is paying for all of them. This is a real gentleman we're talking about, Woojin mentally notes to himself. Jisung, Felix and Changbin excuse themselves earlier since their place is the opposite way to Chan's, and Chan's place happens to be a short distance from where Woojin lodges. The night walk is refreshing, excluding the fact that Woojin is sweating the whole way and making him nothing close to feeling refreshed, but Chan happily chattering in the background makes up for Woojin's demise.

Soon enough, they are now standing in front of Woojin's place. "Thank you. For today." Woojin mumbles, hands tucked in his jeans as he kicks at the tiny gravel with his shoe. "I didn't expect you'll go out of your way to show me around."

"Nah. I enjoyed myself more than anything else tonight. So I should be the one thanking you." Chan replies, smiling to the point his eyes are just tiny slits on his face. Woojin mentally coos at that, thinking how can someone be breathtaking and cute? That's Chan, he guesses.

"Uh. How long will you be here?" Chan asks, and Woojin thinks it's about time he gets his eyes checked again because Chan's cheeks are colored in faded pink.

"Oh. It's actually my last night here.." Woojin trails off, getting mad at himself for not mentioning it sooner. Yes, he might've caught feelings for Chan but then, distance is not really something he thinks he will be considering in the near future. It is good enough that they get to spend the night together. "My flight's tomorrow afternoon. Thank you for making my last night here memorable." Woojin smiles, and he doesn't have to look at himself in the mirror to know there is a tinge of sadness in it.

"Oh.." Chan pauses, apparently thinking. "That's too bad. Wished you'll stay longer so the kids and I can show you around more." Chan mirrors the same smile Woojin gave, and Woojin can feel his heart squeezes the tiniest bit at the sight. "But it's been great meeting you, Woojin. Maybe you'd want to be careful to not be caught of staring next time." Chan says his last sentence with a smug look, and Woojin is pretty sure he's bright red by then.

"It's not my fault that you're breathtaking." Woojin easily quips, seeming to surprise both Chan and himself. "I mean, the sunset was amazing, and there's you in the sunset and that was like the most perfect picture?" Woojin stops, clenching his jaw in frustration that he lets out way too much and he may want to consider installing some filter. And now it's Chan's turn to color, even in the dimly lit alley. Woojin lets out a soft laugh, fixating his gaze on Chan who is still looking at the end of his shoes.

"So, can I have your number?" If there is anything Woojin has done right in the short time being around Chan, it is this one.

"Well, sure." Chan quickly fishes his phone out, handing it to Woojin as he keys in his number into Woojin's phone.

"So.." Woojin shrugs lightly, the cold metal of his phone snug in his palm as he looks at Chan. Chan is looking at him too, eyes pretty unreadable from the whole exchange yet he knows Chan feels pretty much the same as him. "Good night, Chan. Get home safely." Woojin mumbles under his breath. Saying those is almost equal to saying goodbye. He may not see Chan for another couple of years, and he knows he's doomed the moment he laid his eyes on him. But it all still feels too good for Woojin. Maybe, Woojin is willing to live pining for someone who's exactly a continent apart from him.

"Good night, Woojin. Have a safe trip tomorrow." Chan's voice small, and Woojin gently pat his shoulders as he takes his steps heading home.

Woojin tosses and turns in his bed later that night, with eyes glued to the screen showing Chan's contact in his phone. It barely gets past two hours since they separated, and Woojin is having severe symptoms of missing the smaller guy already. If he is to be frank, he also doesn't know where this will go. And it does not make sense of how much he clicked with Chan right off the bat. But Woojin is not one who does not believe in first love, because Chan could have been his soulmate all along. Woojin spends another half an hour staring at nothingness before sleep claims him into its realm.

The soft buzz of the coffee maker soothes Woojin's nerves, somehow. He stands close to the pickup counter, waiting for his order. He has exactly ninety minutes to boarding, and he already sent his carrier to the check in counter, wanting to spend some extra time roaming around without a huge ass bag on wheels in tow. Picking on his drink when the barista called, Woojin turns on his heels to get into one of the stores, taking a look at nothing in particular. Just then, his phone vibrates.

**Chan**

Where are you?

Can I see you before you go?

**You**

I'm at the airport.

Yeah I haven't clear the security.

You can come..?

**Chan**

Okay.

Will be there in 5.

Woojin stares at the screen until his phone locks itself. Chan is coming to see him, and he is not entirely sure whether he has butterflies or the whole zoo in his stomach. Regaining his conscience after, Woojin tries to distract himself with looking at even more things. Now that he has seen way too much, he's feeling a little sick. And in another five minutes, like he promised, Chan appeared in front of Woojin as the latter is about to exit the shop. One hand hidden behind his back, Woojin tips his head in question as Chan keeps smiling with a flicker of nervousness that he can somehow senses.

"Hey?" Chan awkwardly greets. "So, you have like, another hour?" Woojin nods as an answer as he brings his hand down from greeting Chan. If yesterday Chan was a bundle of confidence, the current Chan standing in front of him is a bundle of tangled nerves that has no chance of being undone. Woojin chuckles softly, trying to ease Chan up.

"You know, you don't have to be that nervous just to send someone off?" Woojin keeps chuckling, now walking in the direction of the security check. He has had all his things ready, and seeing Chan is just going to wrap things up well. Or so, he thought. Chan still has his hand behind his back, Woojin is more than curious to know but he will not push the poor boy for the time being. He looks like he can break into tears any moment now if Woojin says something wrong. Chan stops once they are by the security point, Woojin turning around to face him. "So.. I have to go now." Woojin mumbles, quickly looking at his watch to see he has another fifty minutes.

"Oh. Before you go.." Chan rambles, and he ends up shoving the small bouquet of carnations into Woojin's chest. "Have a safe flight, and text me when you get there." Chan keeps his eyes on the tiled floor, not wanting to see Woojin's reaction. That is until Woojin tilts his face up by his chin. Woojin is mentally patting himself for the gesture, but once he locks his eyes with Chan, he is at loss for words. Chan is indeed breathtaking. No matter how many times Woojin looks at him, Chan is always that breathtaking surfer boy in the sunset for him.

"Thank you, for the bouquet." Woojin flashes an easy smile, gesturing a salute with the flowers in hand, just to have Chan bubbling with laughter.

"What a dork." Chan chuckles out, much calmer and brighter now.

"I can't really give you anything for now, but take this.." The next thing Woojin finds himself doing is fastening one of his bracelet to Chan's wrist, liking how his pale skin contrasted to the deep brown leather he just put. "I'll see you when I see you." Woojin flashes another smile as he backs away, needing to hurry before he misses his flight and end up living with Chan the rest of his life in a foreign land. As much as he is fine with that, he didn't go through the whole hassle of graduating just to drop it on one guy.

"Yeah, see you, Woojin!" Chan half shouts when Woojin is already halfway down the escalator taking him to the immigration point. Woojin waves to him, now sure of a good wrap for his trip. And nothing really beats getting a breathtaking bouquet from a breathtaking guy he knows a day prior. It's definitely not some over spiced teen romance. It's just Woojin realizing that love at first sight is very much possible and do happen. Or maybe he has been alone his whole life until Chan comes around. That's plausible too.

Now Woojin has more things to look forward to, aside from his upcoming working life. He now has Chan, who's in a whole other continent, whom he is definitely smitten for. And good news, the feelings might be reciprocated. Before he boards, Woojin checks his phone one last time as it vibrates.

**Chan**

Those are carnations, anyway.

Just in case..

**You**

They're breathtaking.

Just like you.

**Author's Note:**

> hey, it's me again! i'm using up my brain juice before it dries up uwu thank you so much for reading my previous work and much love to you lovely people. keep stanning woochan, they are loud these days :)


End file.
